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The Volvo 200 series is a range of mid-size cars produced by Volvo from 1974 to 1993. The 200 series replaced the Volvo 140 and 164.
The 200 series was to have been replaced by the Volvo 700 series, which was introduced in 1982, but Volvo 240s were extremely popular with consumers and only the 260 was replaced. The 700 series cars instead sold alongside the 240s for another decade. Ironically the 700 series was eventually itself replaced a year before the 240, in 1992. During their 19-year-run, over 2.8 million 240s and 260s were sold worldwide. The Volvo 850 was a similar sized car which arrived in 1993, but was more a successor to the 700 series than the 240.
The Volvo 240 was and is Volvo's best-selling car and, from 1975 until 1982, the only Volvo imported to the United States automobile market. During those years in European markets, its companion was the smaller Volvo 66/300 series.
[] Perception
For many years, the 240 was one of the safest cars in the world. Many of the design elements carried over from the Volvo VESC, including crumple zones and three-point seat belts. These features allowed the Volvo 240 to have the lowest driver death rate between 1990 and 1993. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety listed the model as having 0.1 driver deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles during that time period.
In addition to the numerous safety features, the car's brick-like styling and sturdiness helped create the stereotype of the 200 series as boxy and ponderous, but extremely safe. Finnish people gave this model the nickname "huoralaiva", which means "hugger boat" in English. The 240 series have also been referred to as "Swedish tanks," and "turbo-bricks" for the highly sought after turbo models.
[] History
The Volvo 240 and 260 Series was introduced in the autumn of 1974, and was initially available as six variations of the 240 Series (242L, 242DL, 244DL, 244GL, 245L and 245DL) and two variations of the 260 Series (264DL and 264GL).
At a glance, the 240 and 260 Series looked very much like the earlier 140 and 164 Series, but while they used many of the same components, and were largely the same from the passenger compartment back, they also incorporated many of the improvements used in the Volvo Experimental Safety Car in 1972, which was a prototype experiment in car safety. The overall safety of the driver and passengers in the event of a crash was greatly improved with very large front and rear end crumple zones. The 200 Series had McPherson strut type front suspension (which increased room around the engine bay) while the rear suspension was a modified version of that fitted to the 140 Series. The steering was greatly improved with the installation of rack-and-pinion steering (with power steering fitted as standard to the 244GL, 264DL and 264GL), and there were some modifications made to the braking system.
The main changes were made to the engine. The 1974 240 series retained the B20A 4-cylinder engine from the 140 Series, with the new B21A engine available as an option on the 240 DL models. The new B21 engine was a 2127cc, 4-cylinder unit, which had a cast iron block, a five-bearing crankshaft, and a belt-driven overhead camshaft. This engine produced 97bhp for the B21A carburettor 242DL, 244DL and 245DL, and 123bhp for the B21E fuel-injected 244GL.
The 264 models had a completely new V6 B27E engine. This engine (which was called the Douvrin engine) was developed jointly by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo (hence the nickname "PRV"). The B27E engine had a capacity of 2664cc, and which was fitted with an aluminium alloy block and wet cylinder liners. This engine produced 140bhp for both the 264DL and 264GL. All models were available with a choice between 4-speed manual gearbox, with a 3-speed automatic gearbox being available as an option on all models. Overdrive was also optional on the manual 244GL, while a 5-speed manual gearbox was optional on the 264GL.
The front end of the car was also completely restyled – that being the most obvious change of which made the 200 Series distinguishable from the earlier 140 and 160 Series. Other than all the changes mentioned above, the 200 Series was almost identical to the 140 and 160 Series from the bulkhead to the very rear end. Even the dashboard was the same as that fitted to the 1973-74 140 and 160 series. In true Volvo style, the 200-series offered high levels of comfort and safety protection features.
In the autumn of 1975 (for the 1976 model year), the 265 DL estate became available alongside the existing range, and this was the very first Volvo estate to be powered by a six-cylinder engine (unless one counts the single "165" that Volvo is said to have made for designer Jan Wilsgaard). Around this time, the existing 200 Series underwent some technical changes. The B20A engine was dropped from the range because of emission regulations (though for some reason the 242L made do with this engine until the 1977 model year in some markets). The B21A engine (which was now standardised in the 242DL, 244DL, 245L and 245DL models) received a new camshaft, which increased the output from 93 to 100bhp. The two-door 262 DL and GL sedans, the 264DL saloon and the new 265DL estate now had the new V6 B27A engine. This engine was almost identical to the fuel-injected V6 B27E engine except it had an SU carburettor instead of fuel injection, and therefore it produced a lower output of 125bhp. The choice of gearbox was also greatly improved, with overdrive now available as an option in all manual models, with the exception of the entry-level 242L and 245L. As before, the 3-speed automatic gearbox was optional in every model.
The first models to reach the US shores were 1975 models equipped with the old pushrod B20F engine, with the new OHC B21F motor making its way onto American shores for the 1976 model year. A fuel-injected variant of the V6, the B27F, was introduced to the US in the 1977 260 series.
As is usual for Volvo, incremental improvements were made almost every year of the production run. One of the major improvements was the introduction of the oxygen sensor in 1977 (1978 models), which Volvo called Lambda Sond and developed in conjunction with Bosch. It added a feedback loop to the K-Jetronic fuel injection system already in use, which allowed fine-tuning of the air and fuel mixture and therefore produced superior emissions, drivability and fuel economy. Some models (notably the 242 and 240) could get up to 23 miles per gallon.
About one-third of all 240s sold were station wagons, which featured very large loadspaces. They could be outfitted with a rear-facing foldable jumpseat in the passenger area, making the wagon a seven-passenger vehicle. The jumpseat came with three-point seat belts, and wagons were designed to have a reinforced floor section, protecting the occupants of the jumpseat in the event of a rear-end collision.
The last ever 200 produced was a station-wagon that was placed in the Volvo World Museum.
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